Praseodymium
A rare earth that gives strong magnets and green glass.
Inside the Praseodymium atom
Switch between Bohr and Quantum Cloud modes to compare a simple teaching model with a more realistic probability-based view, and follow the guided tour to explore the Praseodymium atom step by step.
Electron configuration
[Xe] 4f3 6s2
A neutral Praseodymium atom has 59 electrons (equal to its proton count). Choosing a different isotope above changes only the neutron count.
Shell distribution
Electrons fill inner shells before outer ones; the outermost (valence) shell drives the element's chemistry.
Physical & atomic properties
- State (room temp)
- Solid
- Melting point
- 1208 K (935 °C)
- Boiling point
- 3793 K (3520 °C)
- Density
- 6.773 g/cm³
- Electronegativity
- 1.13 Pauling
- Atomic radius
- 185 pm
- 1st ionization energy
- 527 kJ/mol
- Category
- Lanthanides
Discovery & naming
- Discovered
- 1885
- Discovered by
- Carl Auer von Welsbach
- Origin of name
- Greek 'prasios didymos', meaning green twin.
Notable uses
Powerful magnets, aircraft engines, and coloured glass.
Where Praseodymium comes from
Stellar fusion and dying stars
An important source is slow neutron capture in dying low-mass stars.
Simplified origin map — many elements form through more than one astrophysical pathway.
Summary
- Atomic number
- 59
- Atomic mass
- 140.91
- Category
- Lanthanides
- Group · Period
- — · 6
- Block
- f-block
- Shells
- 2 · 8 · 18 · 21 · 8 · 2